Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsLink Between IBS and AnxietyCommon SymptomsHow IBS Worsens AnxietyHow Anxiety Worsens IBSTriggers and CausesTreatmentAt-Home ManagementWhen to Call a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Link Between IBS and Anxiety
Common Symptoms
How IBS Worsens Anxiety
How Anxiety Worsens IBS
Triggers and Causes
Treatment
At-Home Management
When to Call a Provider
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)causes symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea and/or constipation. It is considered a disorder of gut-brain interaction, meaning that there is a disconnect in the communication between the gut and the brain. While mood disorders do not cause IBS, people with IBS may be more likely to experience anxiety or depression.
This article will discuss the connection between IBS and anxiety, including what the symptoms are and how to manage both at the same time.
Verywell / Theresa Chiechi
What’s the Link Between IBS and Anxiety?
IBS is a common condition that’s thought to affect between 5% and 10% of all people, though its occurrence varies among geographic areas. People with IBS may be three times more likely to deal with anxiety or depression than the general population.
Common IBS and Anxiety Symptoms
Thesymptoms of IBShave a significant impact on quality of life. Some of the more common symptoms that could occur with IBS include:
Symptoms of ananxiety disordercan be uncontrollable or intense. They may include feelings of:
Anxiety and Anxiety Disorder Symptoms
Why IBS Can Worsen Anxiety
IBS and anxiety may share common causes in the body, including some genes. The two don’t always go together, but anxiety is one of the more common additional diagnoses for people who live with IBS.
IBS can be unpredictable, and the symptoms can make daily tasks difficult. This can result in having anxiety about symptoms coming on. It can turn into a circular pattern, in which anxiety fuels digestive symptoms and worry or anxiety surrounding digestive symptoms can lead to having digestive symptoms.
Why Anxiety Can Worsen IBS
People who have IBS and also symptoms of anxiety may have IBS symptoms that are more severe.
In one study,painand diarrhea were found to be worse when patients also had symptoms ofmood disorders.Transit time(how long it takes for digested food to move through thecolon) and constipation and diarrhea were also shown to be linked. These symptoms were worsened when psychological symptoms accompanied them.
How Stress and Anxiety Cause Diarrhea
Triggers and Causes of IBS and Anxiety
IBS symptoms have many potential triggers. These situations or stressors may lead to a worsening of IBS symptoms. Every person with IBS will have a different response to the factors in their diet or in their life that may have an effect on their symptoms.
Altered Gut Microbiota
Themicrobiome of the gut(the balance of microbes that live in the intestinal tract) may be important in the development and management of many digestive disorders, including IBS.
How changes in the gut microbiome affect IBS isn’t well understood. Some of the things that can change the microbiome dramatically include antibiotics or a gut infection.
Hypersensitivity of the Gut-Brain Axis
IBS is considered a disorder of the gut-brain axis. The gut and the brain work together to regulate digestion and the central nervous system. In IBS, this pathway might respond strongly to changes in anything from diet to mood.
This could mean that there are more IBS symptoms in response to even small changes in the environment or the diet that affect the gut-brain axis.This is called visceral hypersensitivity.
Psychological Factors
It’s thought that having IBS could lead to developing psychological symptoms. Chronic stress, low energy, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, and sleep problems might all affect people with IBS. In some people, these problems could even become more of an issue than the IBS.
Stress
A review paper of 37 studies could not conclude if the stress people with IBS experience is because of the symptoms or whether it is a separate issue. However, it did determine that stressful life events can worsen symptoms of IBS worse.
What Causes IBS?
Treatment for IBS and Anxiety
Antidepressants
Antidepressantsare prescribed to treat certain people with IBS. These drugs might help because they treat pain in a variety of different ways. If someone is also experiencing anxiety or depression alongside their IBS, these medications might help with those symptoms as well.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBTis a type of psychological treatment that may be used to treat many types of conditions. A mental health provider helps a person understand a distorted thought pattern and learn how to use problem-solving to change it.
Exercise
For those who have IBS that presents with more constipation or pain, exercise might be a potential treatment. Between 20 to 60 minutes of exercise such as walking, aerobics, biking, or yoga, that’s done three to five times a week may help with IBS symptoms.Physical exercise is also helpful in managing anxiety and anxiety disorders.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnosisis a valid and potentially effective treatment for symptoms of IBS. It could be that accessing the unconscious brain helps to manage dysregulation in the gut-brain axis. Many studies show that hypnosis that a licensed practitioner delivers is a valid treatment option.
Low-FODMAP Diet for IBS
A diet that restricts foods that are low in certain types of carbohydrates, calledfermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs), may be used to alleviate IBS symptoms. This diet is not easy to follow without help, so working with a dietitian is usually recommended.
How to Manage IBS and Anxiety At Home
Managing IBS and/or anxiety might include one or more of the strategies above, many of which will involve the guidance of a healthcare provider. There’s no single treatment alone that gets results for everyone. For that reason, it may be a journey of trial and error to find what works.
At home, people with IBS may want to try some management techniques on their own. Reducing the symptoms of IBS may also have an effect on anxiety. This can include:
As for anxiety, there are some techniques that can be used at home in addition to working with a healthcare provider that may help in managing the symptoms. These include:
When to Contact a Healthcare Provider
IBS symptoms include a change in bowel habits. This can include going to the bathroom more or less frequently and/or having pain with bowel movements. It’s important to keep track of these changes and discuss them with ahealthcare provider.
Many people may try to treat symptoms at home with lifestyle and diet changes. This is reasonable, and for some people, it may help. However, adopting overly restrictive diets (such asgluten-freethat eliminates a protein common in wheat plants) is not proven to help IBS and can lead to nutritional deficiencies.
Talking to a healthcare provider is also a good idea if symptoms of anxiety or IBS have gotten to the point where they are negatively impacting life. For example, avoiding going out in public because of the fear of needing a bathroom is one warning sign that it’s time to get treatment.
Gastrointestinal symptoms that are never a sign of IBS but are a reason to get medical attention include:
Help for AnxietyIf you or a loved one is struggling with anxiety, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
Help for Anxiety
If you or a loved one is struggling with anxiety, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
Summary
Addressing the symptoms of either may help the symptoms of the other because they tend to form a vicious circle. There are plenty of options for treatment both at home and with the help of healthcare providers such as a mental health professional.
16 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Staudacher HM, Black CJ, Teasdale SB, Mikocka-Walus A, Keefer L.Irritable bowel syndrome and mental health comorbidity - approach to multidisciplinary management.Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023;20:582-596. doi:10.1038/s41575-023-00794-zFord AC, Sperber AD, Corsetti M, Camilleri M.Irritable bowel syndrome.Lancet. 2020;396:1675-1688. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(20)31548-8.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mental health conditions: depression and anxiety.Banerjee A, Sarkhel S, Sarkar R, Dhali GK.Anxiety and depression in irritable bowel syndrome.Indian J Psychol Med. 2017;39:741-745. doi:10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_46_17.Wilkinson JM, Gill MC.Irritable bowel syndrome: questions and answers for effective care.Am Fam Physician. 2021;103:727-736.Midenfjord I, Polster A, Sjövall H, Friberg P, Törnblom H, Simrén M.Associations among neurophysiology measures in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and their relevance for IBS symptoms.Sci Rep. 2020;10:9794. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-66558-wHillestad EMR, van der Meeren A, Nagaraja BH, et al.Gut bless you: the microbiota-gut-brain axis in irritable bowel syndrome.World J Gastroenterol. 2022;28:412-431. doi:10.3748/wjg.v28.i4.412Aziz MNM, Kumar J, Muhammad Nawawi KN, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and neurodegeneration: a bidirectional communication from gut to brain.Nutrients. 2021;13:3061. doi:10.3390/nu13093061Schaper SJ, Stengel A.Emotional stress responsivity of patients with IBS - a systematic review.J Psychosom Res. 2022;153:110694. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2021.110694Camilleri M.Management options for irritable bowel syndrome.Mayo Clin Proc. 2018;93:1858-1872. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.04.032Radziwon CD, Lackner JM.Cognitive behavioral therapy for IBS: how useful, how often, and how does it work?Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2017;19:49. doi:10.1007/s11894-017-0590-9Schuch FB, Stubbs B, Meyer J, et al.Physical activity protects from incident anxiety: a meta‐analysis of prospective cohort studies.Depress Anxiety.2019;36(9):846-858. doi.org/10.1002/da.22915Császár-Nagy N, Bókkon I.Hypnotherapy and IBS: implicit, long-term stress memory in the ENS?Heliyon. 2022;9:e12751. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12751National Institute of Mental Health.Generalized anxiety disorder: when worry gets out of control.Radziszewska M, Smarkusz-Zarzecka J, Ostrowska L.Nutrition, physical activity and supplementation in irritable bowel syndrome.Nutrients. 2023;15(16):3662. doi:10.3390/nu15163662Felice C, Leccese P, Scudeller L, et al.Red flags for appropriate referral to the gastroenterologist and the rheumatologist of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and spondyloarthritis.Clin Exp Immunol. 2019;196(1):123-138. doi:10.1111/cei.13246
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Staudacher HM, Black CJ, Teasdale SB, Mikocka-Walus A, Keefer L.Irritable bowel syndrome and mental health comorbidity - approach to multidisciplinary management.Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023;20:582-596. doi:10.1038/s41575-023-00794-zFord AC, Sperber AD, Corsetti M, Camilleri M.Irritable bowel syndrome.Lancet. 2020;396:1675-1688. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(20)31548-8.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mental health conditions: depression and anxiety.Banerjee A, Sarkhel S, Sarkar R, Dhali GK.Anxiety and depression in irritable bowel syndrome.Indian J Psychol Med. 2017;39:741-745. doi:10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_46_17.Wilkinson JM, Gill MC.Irritable bowel syndrome: questions and answers for effective care.Am Fam Physician. 2021;103:727-736.Midenfjord I, Polster A, Sjövall H, Friberg P, Törnblom H, Simrén M.Associations among neurophysiology measures in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and their relevance for IBS symptoms.Sci Rep. 2020;10:9794. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-66558-wHillestad EMR, van der Meeren A, Nagaraja BH, et al.Gut bless you: the microbiota-gut-brain axis in irritable bowel syndrome.World J Gastroenterol. 2022;28:412-431. doi:10.3748/wjg.v28.i4.412Aziz MNM, Kumar J, Muhammad Nawawi KN, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and neurodegeneration: a bidirectional communication from gut to brain.Nutrients. 2021;13:3061. doi:10.3390/nu13093061Schaper SJ, Stengel A.Emotional stress responsivity of patients with IBS - a systematic review.J Psychosom Res. 2022;153:110694. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2021.110694Camilleri M.Management options for irritable bowel syndrome.Mayo Clin Proc. 2018;93:1858-1872. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.04.032Radziwon CD, Lackner JM.Cognitive behavioral therapy for IBS: how useful, how often, and how does it work?Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2017;19:49. doi:10.1007/s11894-017-0590-9Schuch FB, Stubbs B, Meyer J, et al.Physical activity protects from incident anxiety: a meta‐analysis of prospective cohort studies.Depress Anxiety.2019;36(9):846-858. doi.org/10.1002/da.22915Császár-Nagy N, Bókkon I.Hypnotherapy and IBS: implicit, long-term stress memory in the ENS?Heliyon. 2022;9:e12751. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12751National Institute of Mental Health.Generalized anxiety disorder: when worry gets out of control.Radziszewska M, Smarkusz-Zarzecka J, Ostrowska L.Nutrition, physical activity and supplementation in irritable bowel syndrome.Nutrients. 2023;15(16):3662. doi:10.3390/nu15163662Felice C, Leccese P, Scudeller L, et al.Red flags for appropriate referral to the gastroenterologist and the rheumatologist of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and spondyloarthritis.Clin Exp Immunol. 2019;196(1):123-138. doi:10.1111/cei.13246
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Staudacher HM, Black CJ, Teasdale SB, Mikocka-Walus A, Keefer L.Irritable bowel syndrome and mental health comorbidity - approach to multidisciplinary management.Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023;20:582-596. doi:10.1038/s41575-023-00794-zFord AC, Sperber AD, Corsetti M, Camilleri M.Irritable bowel syndrome.Lancet. 2020;396:1675-1688. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(20)31548-8.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mental health conditions: depression and anxiety.Banerjee A, Sarkhel S, Sarkar R, Dhali GK.Anxiety and depression in irritable bowel syndrome.Indian J Psychol Med. 2017;39:741-745. doi:10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_46_17.Wilkinson JM, Gill MC.Irritable bowel syndrome: questions and answers for effective care.Am Fam Physician. 2021;103:727-736.Midenfjord I, Polster A, Sjövall H, Friberg P, Törnblom H, Simrén M.Associations among neurophysiology measures in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and their relevance for IBS symptoms.Sci Rep. 2020;10:9794. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-66558-wHillestad EMR, van der Meeren A, Nagaraja BH, et al.Gut bless you: the microbiota-gut-brain axis in irritable bowel syndrome.World J Gastroenterol. 2022;28:412-431. doi:10.3748/wjg.v28.i4.412Aziz MNM, Kumar J, Muhammad Nawawi KN, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and neurodegeneration: a bidirectional communication from gut to brain.Nutrients. 2021;13:3061. doi:10.3390/nu13093061Schaper SJ, Stengel A.Emotional stress responsivity of patients with IBS - a systematic review.J Psychosom Res. 2022;153:110694. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2021.110694Camilleri M.Management options for irritable bowel syndrome.Mayo Clin Proc. 2018;93:1858-1872. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.04.032Radziwon CD, Lackner JM.Cognitive behavioral therapy for IBS: how useful, how often, and how does it work?Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2017;19:49. doi:10.1007/s11894-017-0590-9Schuch FB, Stubbs B, Meyer J, et al.Physical activity protects from incident anxiety: a meta‐analysis of prospective cohort studies.Depress Anxiety.2019;36(9):846-858. doi.org/10.1002/da.22915Császár-Nagy N, Bókkon I.Hypnotherapy and IBS: implicit, long-term stress memory in the ENS?Heliyon. 2022;9:e12751. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12751National Institute of Mental Health.Generalized anxiety disorder: when worry gets out of control.Radziszewska M, Smarkusz-Zarzecka J, Ostrowska L.Nutrition, physical activity and supplementation in irritable bowel syndrome.Nutrients. 2023;15(16):3662. doi:10.3390/nu15163662Felice C, Leccese P, Scudeller L, et al.Red flags for appropriate referral to the gastroenterologist and the rheumatologist of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and spondyloarthritis.Clin Exp Immunol. 2019;196(1):123-138. doi:10.1111/cei.13246
Staudacher HM, Black CJ, Teasdale SB, Mikocka-Walus A, Keefer L.Irritable bowel syndrome and mental health comorbidity - approach to multidisciplinary management.Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023;20:582-596. doi:10.1038/s41575-023-00794-z
Ford AC, Sperber AD, Corsetti M, Camilleri M.Irritable bowel syndrome.Lancet. 2020;396:1675-1688. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(20)31548-8.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mental health conditions: depression and anxiety.
Banerjee A, Sarkhel S, Sarkar R, Dhali GK.Anxiety and depression in irritable bowel syndrome.Indian J Psychol Med. 2017;39:741-745. doi:10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_46_17.
Wilkinson JM, Gill MC.Irritable bowel syndrome: questions and answers for effective care.Am Fam Physician. 2021;103:727-736.
Midenfjord I, Polster A, Sjövall H, Friberg P, Törnblom H, Simrén M.Associations among neurophysiology measures in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and their relevance for IBS symptoms.Sci Rep. 2020;10:9794. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-66558-w
Hillestad EMR, van der Meeren A, Nagaraja BH, et al.Gut bless you: the microbiota-gut-brain axis in irritable bowel syndrome.World J Gastroenterol. 2022;28:412-431. doi:10.3748/wjg.v28.i4.412
Aziz MNM, Kumar J, Muhammad Nawawi KN, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and neurodegeneration: a bidirectional communication from gut to brain.Nutrients. 2021;13:3061. doi:10.3390/nu13093061
Schaper SJ, Stengel A.Emotional stress responsivity of patients with IBS - a systematic review.J Psychosom Res. 2022;153:110694. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2021.110694
Camilleri M.Management options for irritable bowel syndrome.Mayo Clin Proc. 2018;93:1858-1872. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.04.032
Radziwon CD, Lackner JM.Cognitive behavioral therapy for IBS: how useful, how often, and how does it work?Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2017;19:49. doi:10.1007/s11894-017-0590-9
Schuch FB, Stubbs B, Meyer J, et al.Physical activity protects from incident anxiety: a meta‐analysis of prospective cohort studies.Depress Anxiety.2019;36(9):846-858. doi.org/10.1002/da.22915
Császár-Nagy N, Bókkon I.Hypnotherapy and IBS: implicit, long-term stress memory in the ENS?Heliyon. 2022;9:e12751. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12751
National Institute of Mental Health.Generalized anxiety disorder: when worry gets out of control.
Radziszewska M, Smarkusz-Zarzecka J, Ostrowska L.Nutrition, physical activity and supplementation in irritable bowel syndrome.Nutrients. 2023;15(16):3662. doi:10.3390/nu15163662
Felice C, Leccese P, Scudeller L, et al.Red flags for appropriate referral to the gastroenterologist and the rheumatologist of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and spondyloarthritis.Clin Exp Immunol. 2019;196(1):123-138. doi:10.1111/cei.13246
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